1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of display systems in general. In particular, the present invention relates specifically to a display system having a removable arcuate panel with a graphic element.
2. Description of the Known Art
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, corrugated cardboard displays provide a means for inexpensively advertise and display products in a retail or display environment. Details of a typical cardboard display are contained in United States Patent Publication No. 2006/0118502 filed by Polvere et al. on Nov. 22, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,575 issued to Kuns et al. on Feb. 4, 1975; U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,396 issued to Patterson on Apr. 15, 1975; U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,220 issued to Mayer on Dec. 14, 1976; U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,432 issued to Grossman on Apr. 12, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,363 issued to Flum et al. on Sep. 9, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,115 issued to Belokin on Oct. 21, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,847 issued to Schneider on Mar. 7, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,105 issued to Maye on Aug. 25, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,211 issued to Stoddard et al. on Mar. 2, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,783 issued to Maglione on Jun. 2, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,120 issued to Johnske on Nov. 16, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,796 issued to Buchanan et al. on Aug. 22, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,288 issued to Kim on Oct. 24, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,255 issued to Brush on Jul. 31, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,290 issued to Walsh et al. on May 28, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,364 issued to Saladyga on Aug. 13, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,071 issued to Caterinacci on Jun. 15, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,447 issued to Hiltke et al. on Nov. 22, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,543 issued to Mason on Nov. 7, 2006; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,771 issued to Moss et al. on Mar. 6, 2007. Each of these patents is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.
In the past, display assemblies have been designed for both shipping and display purposes. However, these display assemblies have had a variety of limitations which adversely affect their function for shipping or display, or both. For example, display assemblies which are rectangular in structure have either a solid rectangular exterior or several rectangular elements forming a larger cube structure with an illustrated exterior have been known for some time. Some of these display assemblies are complicated to manufacture and, therefore, are costly, while others are not sufficiently sturdy to support and contain significant weight during shipment. Others have significant limitations which inhibit use on pallets and limit the ability to properly handle the display assemblies during shipment. Many display assemblies have required difficult or time-consuming in-store construction, therefore reducing retailer profitability and efficiency. Many of these display assemblies require permanent adhesive for securing the illustrated exterior which then destroys the display assembly for future use with a different illustration. Hence, a need exists for cost-efficient, aesthetic display assembly which can be easily constructed and utilize serial illustrated exteriors.
United States Patent Publication No. 2006/0118502 filed by Polvere et al. on Nov. 22, 2005 is entitled Merchandise display system. Its abstract describes an inexpensive and easy to assemble merchandise display system is disclosed. The system includes at least one elongated wall having front and rear edges and including a plurality of slits extending from the front edge into the wall, and at least one shelf having front and rear edges and including a plurality of slits extending from the rear edge into the shelf. The wall and shelf slits are configured to be matingly engageable so that the shelf and wall can be selectively interlocked by engagement of a shelf slit and a wall slit to form a skeletal structure that defines uniform or non-uniform areas, as desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,575 issued to Kuns et al. on Feb. 4, 1975 entitled Display stand. Its abstract states the display stand of the present invention is formed from a plurality of blanks of semi-rigid material such as corrugated paperboard which are folded, arranged and secured to one another to result in a one-piece display stand construction that is shipped in a knocked down condition for set-up at the point of use. The details of construction include a double thick back panel flanked by quadruple thick side panels to yield a display stand having an open frontal portion, with a plurality of shelf structures hingedly attached to the back panel and supported in use by support bars which lie beneath the shelves and which extend between the two side panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,396 issued to Patterson on Apr. 15, 1975 entitled Knockdown display rack. Its abstract describes a knockdown display rack including a plurality of horizontal shelves, preferably of masonite; a plurality of vertical support columns, preferably of folded fibrous or plastic sheet material, each being slotted in the interior at the same heights to slidably receive and support the corresponding peripheries of the shelves; and a sleeve-like member, preferably of fibrous or plastic sheet material, slidably engaging the exteriors of the columns to enclose and restrain the columns in positions supporting the shelves. The shelves preferably have tabbed cutout areas between the uppermost and lowermost shelves to permit the display of merchandise on shelves.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,220 issued to Mayer on Dec. 14, 1976 entitled Display units. Its abstract describes basic components of unit are: 4 times. 8 foot panel supported to stand in an upright position: openings or cutouts in the panel; each opening contains a pop-in/pop-out molded plastic display tray for storing and/or displaying articles. Panels have quick connect/disconnect fasteners for joining. As used in a retail store, the unit simulates a wall and forms visible, accessible display means.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,432 issued to Grossman on Apr. 12, 1983 entitled Article display stand. The abstract describes an article display stand is formed of one pair of identical semicylindrical vertical support members and one pair of identical horizontal support members. The horizontal support members have means thereon to hold the vertical support members in position. The vertical support members are preferably formed of transparent material to permit viewing therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,363 issued to Flum et al. on Sep. 9, 1986 entitled Container assembly for storage and display of articles. The abstract describes A container assembly for storage and display of articles formed of a plurality of parts that can be stored and shipped in substantially flat form and that can be assembled to a three-dimensional form thereby both storing the articles that are for sale and representing a display of one of the articles. A cylindrical body comprises two or more body panels preferably of resilient plastic biasing the panels toward a normally flat condition. Cooperative elongated interlocking channel members for locking the body panels together at adjacent side edges to form the cylinder. The channels are formed to interfit readily when the body panel margins adjacent the edges are substantially coplanar. The pressure biasing the body panels toward a flat position locks the interlocking channels together when the panels are curved to form a cylinder. Flanges on the channel members bear against the body panel margins adjacent the edges to stiffen those panel margins to maintain a smooth continuation of the cylindrical shape at and through the lines of interlock. Partition panels and a floor assembly are positioned within the cylindrical body. A sheet is held by interlockable channel members in a cylindrical form and has a flat lid snapped onto it to form a replica of a bottle cap. The cap replica fits on top of neck portions of the partition panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,115 issued to Belokin on Oct. 21, 1986 entitled Display device module with multiple shelves. The abstract states according to the invention, a collapsible display module has a wall blank with wall panels connected end to end foldably relative to each other to define a continuous wall structure. The wall blank is convertible between a flattened state wherein it can be readily stored and transported, and an expanded display state wherein pairs of opposed, facing panels bound a storage space. First and second flaps associated with each of the wall panels of one wall panel pair interconnect and define spaced shelves for placement of articles to be displayed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,847 issued to Schneider on Mar. 7, 1989 entitled Shipping and display container for plural stacked boxes. The abstract describes a shipping and display container for retail sales of small items such as candy includes a plurality of vertically stacked boxes, each with a front opening for removal of merchandise and a vertical divider for mechanical strength. The boxes can be glued together. A display tray is glued to the top of the stacked boxes. A decorative wrapper, which is glued around three sides of the stacked boxes and display tray, includes easily removable perforated access panels aligned with the front openings in the boxes. The access panels are left in position during shipment and are removed for display. A base pallet is attached to the bottom of the container for protection thereof and for raising the level of the container to facilitate display.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,105 issued to Maye on Aug. 25, 1992 entitled Display rack assembly. The abstract describes a display rack is described, which is fabricated from a minimum number of recyclable, cellulosic components. The unit is easy to assemble and disassemble without a need for tools, and may be pre-packed for gravity feed of articles to be merchandised.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,211 issued to Stoddard et al. on Mar. 2, 1993 entitled Snack display. The abstract describes a snack display is formed from a unitary blank. The blank includes a plurality of parallel spaced apart cross pieces together with a pair of side pieces foldably joined to opposite ends of the cross pieces respectively. The side pieces are of arcuate cross sectional configuration and planar panels are foldably joined to edges of the side pieces which are remote from the cross pieces. Outer edges of the planar panels which are remote from the side pieces are joined together and a plurality of shelves are foldably joined respectively to the cross pieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,783 issued to Maglione on Jun. 2, 1998 entitled Stackable tray and display stand. The abstract states a tray is formed of a single corrugated sheet of paperboard and has two opposite side walls formed by overlapping panels creating a slot between the panels in each side wall. A pair of tabs depends from each side wall for engaging the slots of a next lower tray. A support box has crossed upright support members therein to support the trays. The box has two upstanding tabs on opposite sides to engage the side wall slots at the bottom wall of the lowermost trays. A triangular cap has two depending tabs on each side for engaging the slots of the trays in an uppermost tier. Straps on each tray secure that tray to slots in the next upper tray. The tray bottom wall is formed into two sections with a forward section inclined and formed of multiple layers of sheets to enhance the strength of the forward section. The trays are stacked in back-to-back relation in any number of levels and have a tree-like appearance from the side and are accessible from opposite fronts of the display stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,120 issued to Johnske on Nov. 16, 1999 entitled Point-of-purchase display system and method for formation thereof. The abstract describes a point-of-purchase display system for shipping and displaying articles therewithin, the display system utilizes facilitated articulation while maximizing display area, and the display system comprises at least one modular tray member. The at least one modular tray member includes an inner liner having a tray support member and a tray divider member for securing and displaying articles therein. An outer tray is operably associated with the inner liner, and the outer tray has a bottom panel, a back panel, and two side panels. Each of the side panels includes a biasable flap, which, upon articulation, covers the exposed side wall edges of both the outer tray and inner liner. Each biasable flap includes a locking tab for operably engaging a tab locking slot on the bottom panel to secure the biasable flap therein. The invention further includes a method for forming a point-of-purchase display system for shipping and displaying articles therewithin.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,796 issued to Buchanan et al. on Aug. 22, 2000 entitled Merchandising display lane blocker. The abstract states a checkout lane blocker and merchandising display stand having a base member, a plurality of wheels located below the base member, an outer shell providing walls on top of the base member, an internal support structure disposed on the base member and including a stepped shelf, and a plurality of merchandise display trays disposed on top of the stepped shelf for holding merchandise for display. The outer shell, internal support structure, and merchandise trays are preferably made of corrugated material and the display therefore is lightweight, inexpensive, and easily recycled. The lane blocker merchandising display may be easily moved into position to block a checkout lane in a store when the checkout lane is closed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,288 issued to Kim on Oct. 24, 2000 entitled Corrugated board packaging box. The abstract describes a corrugated board packaging box including an opening portion which is formed on a front surface portion of a box body, through which goods are taken in and out. On both sides of the front surface portion, a cut-off portion is formed to cut off by a cutting line, defined by a vertical supporting member disposed on the intermediate portion of the front surface, and on an edge of the one side of the cut-off portion, a cut-off protrusion is disposed by forming an inclined cutting line.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,255 issued to Brush on Jul. 31, 2001 entitled Merchandiser with shroud and header forming panels. The abstract describes a merchandiser which has a product containing interior region is provided with a plurality of panels secured to the top surface of the merchandiser. The panels are foldable between a shroud forming position in which they cover the side faces of the merchandiser and a header forming position in which they project upwardly from the top surface of the merchandiser. The panels, when in the header forming position interlock with and hold one another in the header forming position. When the panels are in the header forming position, the product receiving interior region of the merchandiser is visible through the side faces of the merchandiser.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,290 issued to Walsh et al. on May 28, 2002 entitled Display stand. The abstract is describes a foldable, point-of-purchase display stand is disclosed. The display stand is manufactured from a piece sheet of corrugated board. The display stand has a shelf that is secured by a hook affixed with a pop rivet or eyelet. The disclosed stand is stable for weight-bearing for use in the advertising industry for displaying books and magazines. The display stand of the invention is quickly and easily assembled.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,364 issued to Saladyga on Aug. 13, 2002 entitled Display with removeable informational panel. The abstract describes a display tray is provided for visually displaying a plurality of products for sale, and also for displaying promotional information regarding the products within the tray. The display tray includes a tray member into which the products for sale are placed, and a display member separate from and removeably connected to the tray member for displaying promotional information regarding the products within the tray member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,071 issued to Caterinacci on Jun. 15, 2004 entitled Merchandizing display. The abstract describes a merchandise display device for dispensing and displaying digital media cases. Digital media cases are inserted vertically into the opening between the front panel and the lateral supports. This opening limits the number of cases which can be removed and/or inserted at one time. The width of the opening allows only two cases to be inserted or removed at a time, to deter theft. The opening, however, still allows for easy access when removing or inserting the cases. A replaceable pusher is attached to the back wall of the unit to bias the digital media cases toward the front panel. The display units are broken into two separate components, a right and left side. The components allow for flexibility in arranging the display system, depending on the need of the vendor. The invention provides a storage display system which continuously maintains the organized orientation of digital media cases, displays the covers of these cases, permits easy access and use of the stored objects and allows for flexibility so that the storage units are easy to install, reconfigure, and remove.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,447 issued to Hiltke et al. on Nov. 22, 2005 entitled Corrugated display base. The abstract describes an upright display stand for mounting a hanging display tray erected from a corrugated paperboard blank. The display stand includes rectangular front panel having a locking slot for engagement of a transverse brace with the upper edge of the front panel including spaced apart notches for the engagement of hooks on the back of the hanging display tray. The display stand also includes a first integral side panel and a second integral side panel of generally triangular configuration and a rear panel. The upper end of the rear panel includes an integral brace section which folds downwardly and inwardly to engage the locking slot formed in the front panel to create the transverse brace. The display stand, when fully assembled, is generally rigid and stable and well suited to support a hanging display tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,543 issued to Mason on Nov. 7, 2006 entitled Display device. The abstract states a display device for at least one modular merchandise unit having a substantially flat base includes a base, a housing supported by the base, a cover, at least one wheel connected to the base, and at least one shelf supported in the housing for receiving the base of the merchandise unit. The housing includes parallel first and second side walls and a third side wall connected to the first and second side walls. The cover is disposed on an upper portion of the first, second and third side walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,771 issued to Moss et al. on Mar. 6, 2007 entitled Foldable stepped display stands. The abstract describes the foldable display stand has a stepped display shelving portion removably mounted over a foldable support base. The shelving portion is formed by folding various parts of a configuration formed on a single sheet material. The configuration includes a plurality of rectangular panels connected by a plurality horizontal fold lines. Side extensions are formed on the two side edges of the rectangular panels which are foldable to form side wall of the shelves and the side walls are mounted in place by mounting tabs formed in the side extensions and mounting slots formed in the selected rectangular panels. Side extensions having a unique design are adapted to form reinforced side walls of the shelves.
These prior art patents are very limited in their teaching and utilization, and an improved display assembly is needed to overcome these limitations.